Height and Density

The four properties that constitute the site are zoned for a height of 18m and a density of 3.0 FSI. The proposed building would be 33.5m high (+ an additional 5m for the mechanical penthouse) with a density of 4.69 FSI. The 28 residential units on the site would be replaced by 130 units.

According to this standard, the maximum height of the building, based on the width of Yonge Street, would be 27m.

As City Planning notes in the preliminary report, this section of Yonge Street is characterized by buildings ranging in height from 2 to 7 storeys. In the Avenue Segment Study accompanying the development application, the planning firm identifies 10 other sites along Yonge Street between Castlefield Avenue/Keewatin Avenue to the south and Glengrove Avenue to the north which “have the potential for redevelopment” (21). We are concerned that ‘Alaska’ would set a precedent for future buildings of inappropriate scale, radically transforming the character of this stretch of Yonge Street and the adjacent residential neighbourhoods.

Although intensification is necessary for the sustainability of our city, the City has identified specific areas for such intensification, centred on public transit nodes. ‘Alaska’ would be situated on Yonge Street, approximately halfway between Eglinton and Lawrence Stations, not at a transit hub.